Power Africa Toolbox

The toolbox falls into five major categories: Transaction Assistance, Finance, Policy/Regulatory Design & Reform, Capacity Building, and Legal Assistance. Transaction Assistance includes early-stage support for innovative energy solutions, resource evaluations, feasibility and grid impact studies, social and environmental impact studies, project appraisal and costing, engineering designs, public private partnerships, and other project preparation activities. Late-stage expert technical, regulatory, and financial assistance is also provided to host country governments to advance power transactions to financial close and beyond. This assistance is available to project developers, investors, host-country governments, entrepreneurs, African-owned and operated enterprises. Finance includes a range of tools and resources, including equity, mezzanine financing, senior and sub-senior loans, guarantees, export credits, grants, and insurance programs. These tools are available to project developers, financing institutions, entrepreneurs, host-country governments, U.S. lenders and exporters. The Africa Renewable Energy Fund (AREF) provides equity investments for small-to-medium renewable energy projects, while the Development Credit Authority offers partial-credit guarantees to mobilize commercial debt capital. Policy/Regulatory Design & Reform includes technical assistance to improve the enabling environment for private sector investment in the power sector through policy, legal, regulatory and utility reforms, improved procurement practices and power sector planning, and the adoption of financial incentives and risk mitigation schemes. This assistance is available to host-country governments, utilities, regulators, and other stakeholders. Capacity Building includes technical assistance to support institutional strengthening, technical and regulatory skill development, and project development and management activities. Trade missions to the U.S. and to sub-Saharan Africa are also available to host-country governments, utilities, energy regulators, public procurement agencies. The US-East Africa Geothermal Partnership (EAGP) provides technical assistance to support U.S.-East African cooperation in geothermal development, while the Energy Efficiency for Clean Development Program (EECDP) offers activities to increase energy efficiency. Legal Assistance includes legal assistance to strengthen host country government expertise and negotiating capacity in structuring, financing and closing power transactions. This assistance is available to host-country governments and African utilities. The toolbox is designed to provide a quick and comprehensive view of the tools and resources available to drive deals and facilitate investment in the power sector. The Power Africa Toolbox is available to a range of stakeholders, including project developers, investors, host-country governments, entrepreneurs, African-owned and operated enterprises, U.S. lenders and exporters, host-country governments, utilities, regulators, and other stakeholders. The toolbox is designed to provide a comprehensive resource for stakeholders to access the tools and assistance they need to drive deals and facilitate investment in the power sector. The toolbox includes a range of tools and resources, including grants, loans, guarantees, insurance programs, technical assistance, and capacity building activities. These tools are available to support a range of activities, including project preparation, feasibility studies, engineering designs, public private partnerships, and institutional strengthening. The Power Africa Toolbox is available to stakeholders in sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on countries where Power Africa has a presence. The toolbox is designed to provide a comprehensive resource for stakeholders to access the tools and assistance they need to drive deals and facilitate investment in the power sector. The toolbox is managed by a range of agencies and organizations, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA). These agencies and organizations work together to provide a comprehensive range of tools and resources to support the development of the power sector in sub-Saharan Africa.